From Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah,
Sunyani
A project, designed to educate communities along protected wildlife parks in Ghana, Canada and Tanzania on the need to conserve the parks and help reduce poverty in the rural areas, has been launched in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The five-year project, dubbed “Protected Areas and Poverty Reduction: A Canada-Africa Research and Learning Alliance”, was initiated by the International Community-University Research Alliance (ICURA), a group of university researchers from over 102 countries around the world.
The project will provide alternative livelihood activities to the people in the protected areas to help reduce their poverty levels and also build staff capacity to generate new knowledge that will be of direct use to local communities, academics and government agencies in the participating countries.
It is being funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the International Development Research Corporation (IDRC) at the cost of US$1 million.
In Ghana, the Brong Ahafo Research and Extension Centre (BAREC) at the Sunyani Polytechnic (S-Poly) will oversee a 16-month research work to be conducted in three sites, namely the Mole and Bui National Parks in the Northern and Brong Ahafo Regions respectively and the Keta Lagoon Complex in the Volta Region.
Furthermore, scholarships would be offered to each person selected from the S-Poly, the Faculty of Forest Resources Technology (FFRT) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Sunyani campus and the Natural Conservation and Research Centre (NCRC) in Accra to pursue a PhD course at the University of Victoria in Canada.
A similar facility will be extended to the Tanzania programme, where research work would be conducted in the Serengeti National and Saadani National Parks.
Professor Kwasi Nsiah-Gyabaah, the Rector of S-Poly, who launched the project, observed that for many years, the government had developed several strategies to reduce poverty in the country but noted that, “One of the limitations of poverty reduction strategies is the wanton destruction of the natural resource base”.
“We have not recognised the importance of winning ways with wildlife and we still have not come to accept the role of wildlife and natural resources conservation in poverty reduction programme,” he declared.
Prof. Nsiah-Gyabaah pointed out that every year, large areas of Africa’s forests were illegally exploited for their valuable timber or cleared to make way for farmlands, while wildlife was hunted for meat or killed through indiscriminate bush burning.
Dr Grant Murray from the Vancouver Island University of Canada, a Director of the project, giving an overview of the project, mentioned four principal streams of the research to include benefits/cost of Eco-tourism and protected areas, human-wildlife interactions, governance structures and processes of decision-making and flows of information/knowledge mobilisation.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
MINISTER INAUGURATES TASK FORCE (MIRROR, PAGE 35)
From Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah,
Sunyani
A Task force to check chainsaw operations in the Brong Ahafo Region has been inaugurated in Sunyani.
Dubbed “Operation Halt Illegal Chainsaw Activities”, the exercise will involve the military, police and other security agencies, as well as forestry guards and representatives of the Brong Ahafo Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC).
Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, in the inaugural address, expressed concern over the depletion of the once green forest reserves in the region.
He attributed the situation to bush fires, unscientific farming practices and operations of chainsaw operators, which had led to dramatic changes in the rainfall pattern and drying up of rivers.
”We need to check the activities of the people who are destroying our forest cover for the sake of posterity and if we do not act now, some few years to come all our forests will go and the impact will be disastrous for our children,” the regional minister cautioned.
He appealed to members of the task force to work diligently so as to stem the wanton destruction of the forest resources, and resist any attempts by some unscrupulous people to influence them to stop the checks.
The regional minister appealed to the judiciary to expedite action on cases of those who would be arrested and brought before the law courts, pointing out that if they were punished heavily, it would serve as a deterrent to others.
The Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion of Infantry (3BN), Lt Col Michael Amoah Ayisi, cautioned that members of the task force would apply minimum force to apprehend those operators who might want to resist arrest.
Mr William Baah, the Regional Forestry Officer, said an operation mounted by his outfit a couple of days ago had led to the seizure of 3,000 pieces of lumber at Goaso in the Asunafo Municipality.
Sunyani
A Task force to check chainsaw operations in the Brong Ahafo Region has been inaugurated in Sunyani.
Dubbed “Operation Halt Illegal Chainsaw Activities”, the exercise will involve the military, police and other security agencies, as well as forestry guards and representatives of the Brong Ahafo Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC).
Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, in the inaugural address, expressed concern over the depletion of the once green forest reserves in the region.
He attributed the situation to bush fires, unscientific farming practices and operations of chainsaw operators, which had led to dramatic changes in the rainfall pattern and drying up of rivers.
”We need to check the activities of the people who are destroying our forest cover for the sake of posterity and if we do not act now, some few years to come all our forests will go and the impact will be disastrous for our children,” the regional minister cautioned.
He appealed to members of the task force to work diligently so as to stem the wanton destruction of the forest resources, and resist any attempts by some unscrupulous people to influence them to stop the checks.
The regional minister appealed to the judiciary to expedite action on cases of those who would be arrested and brought before the law courts, pointing out that if they were punished heavily, it would serve as a deterrent to others.
The Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion of Infantry (3BN), Lt Col Michael Amoah Ayisi, cautioned that members of the task force would apply minimum force to apprehend those operators who might want to resist arrest.
Mr William Baah, the Regional Forestry Officer, said an operation mounted by his outfit a couple of days ago had led to the seizure of 3,000 pieces of lumber at Goaso in the Asunafo Municipality.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
ASSEMBLIES LACK QUALIFIED PROCUREMENT OFFICERS (PAGE 13)
A Number of district assemblies in the Brong Ahafo Region do not have qualified procurement officers who are to oversee the legal procurement processes in the assemblies.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, who made this known in Sunyani, noted that trained procurement officers could help streamline procedures regarding the day-to-day purchases and other transactions by adhering to the Procurement Act.
Addressing a day’s Regional Financial Management workshop, organised by the Ghana Audit Service, the Regional Minister, therefore, charged the appropriate authorities to ensure that all the assemblies were provided with procurement officers who could interpret the law properly.
The workshop was attended by accountants in the various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and those from the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs), District Finance Officers, District Co-ordinating Directors and staff of the Ghana Audit Service.
The workshop was aimed at addressing findings of an audit conducted last year across the country by Messrs Ernst and Young Chartered Accountants to bring a third-party review to the handling of the various transactions underlying receipts and disbursements of the Consolidated Fund.
The audit focused on transactions related to the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing and selected departments under it, as well as 20 MMDAs drawn from each region in the country.
The workshop centred on budget preparation and reporting cycle, consolidated fund inflows, budget and public expenditure management systems, financial reporting formats, receipts and payments concerns, consolidated fund reporting issues, internal audit issues and internal controls.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo stressed the need for the assemblies to register all their fixed assets, so that at any given time they could account for them without any difficulty, pointing out that the accurate preparation of trial balances of the assemblies would also provide the basis for their income and expenditure accounts.
According to the minister, the startling revelations at the ongoing Ghana@50 probe in Accra should be an eye-opener to all those in positions of trust, since one day they would be called to account for their stewardship.
He said following what was currently going on at the probe, it was not far-fetched to conclude that, “Some of the politicians did not listen to the bureaucrats during the Ghana@50 celebration, regarding procurement and other activities, adding, “Politicians should listen to the bureaucrats to learn a lot from them as to what to do next.”
In his welcoming address, the Brong Ahafo Regional Auditor, Mr Charles Segre, noted that the findings of the wide-scope audit required additional attention alongside the immediate requirement to submit findings for the attention of Parliament.
According to him, the objectives of the audit were to provide an independent opinion on the financial statements and to review and report on the effectiveness of the system of internal controls of the audited organisations.
He pointed out that recommendations had been made, where appropriate, on how systems could be improved, but the key task was to examine whether existing systems were being followed and where necessary, “We have made practical recommendations on how enforcement could be tightened.”
Mr Segre noted that financial management in government agencies was largely decentralised, and that, in order to keep the extent of the work within reasonable limits and to ensure a timely completion, “We were required within each of the organisations to undertake a detailed audit of a proportion of the spending units or budget management centres.”
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, who made this known in Sunyani, noted that trained procurement officers could help streamline procedures regarding the day-to-day purchases and other transactions by adhering to the Procurement Act.
Addressing a day’s Regional Financial Management workshop, organised by the Ghana Audit Service, the Regional Minister, therefore, charged the appropriate authorities to ensure that all the assemblies were provided with procurement officers who could interpret the law properly.
The workshop was attended by accountants in the various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and those from the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs), District Finance Officers, District Co-ordinating Directors and staff of the Ghana Audit Service.
The workshop was aimed at addressing findings of an audit conducted last year across the country by Messrs Ernst and Young Chartered Accountants to bring a third-party review to the handling of the various transactions underlying receipts and disbursements of the Consolidated Fund.
The audit focused on transactions related to the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing and selected departments under it, as well as 20 MMDAs drawn from each region in the country.
The workshop centred on budget preparation and reporting cycle, consolidated fund inflows, budget and public expenditure management systems, financial reporting formats, receipts and payments concerns, consolidated fund reporting issues, internal audit issues and internal controls.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo stressed the need for the assemblies to register all their fixed assets, so that at any given time they could account for them without any difficulty, pointing out that the accurate preparation of trial balances of the assemblies would also provide the basis for their income and expenditure accounts.
According to the minister, the startling revelations at the ongoing Ghana@50 probe in Accra should be an eye-opener to all those in positions of trust, since one day they would be called to account for their stewardship.
He said following what was currently going on at the probe, it was not far-fetched to conclude that, “Some of the politicians did not listen to the bureaucrats during the Ghana@50 celebration, regarding procurement and other activities, adding, “Politicians should listen to the bureaucrats to learn a lot from them as to what to do next.”
In his welcoming address, the Brong Ahafo Regional Auditor, Mr Charles Segre, noted that the findings of the wide-scope audit required additional attention alongside the immediate requirement to submit findings for the attention of Parliament.
According to him, the objectives of the audit were to provide an independent opinion on the financial statements and to review and report on the effectiveness of the system of internal controls of the audited organisations.
He pointed out that recommendations had been made, where appropriate, on how systems could be improved, but the key task was to examine whether existing systems were being followed and where necessary, “We have made practical recommendations on how enforcement could be tightened.”
Mr Segre noted that financial management in government agencies was largely decentralised, and that, in order to keep the extent of the work within reasonable limits and to ensure a timely completion, “We were required within each of the organisations to undertake a detailed audit of a proportion of the spending units or budget management centres.”
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
PLANTPOOL DONATES GRADERS TO TWO ASSEMBLIES (PAGE 21)
THE management of J.A. Plant Pool (Ghana) Limited has handed over two motor-graders to the Sunyani West and Nkoranza North District assemblies in the Brong Ahafo Region, to facilitate development projects being undertaken in the two areas.
The equipment was provided under a special pre-financed support package introduced by the company for Metropolitan, Municipal and District assemblies (MMDAs) in the country for their capacity building.
A representative of the company in its Sunyani office, Miss Aileen Koomson, who handed over the keys to the machines at a brief ceremony, stated that the provision of basic infrastructure such as feeder roads to link up the hinterland in the districts and the urban centres would enhance economic opportunities for the people, thereby improving their living conditions.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, who received the keys to the machines on behalf of the assemblies, expressed his appreciation to the company for its commitment to partnering the government in its development programme.
He expressed the hope that the machines would go a long way to help the assemblies in their development moves.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo, therefore, urged the assemblies to ensure that they maintained the equipment regularly to prolong its lifespan.
The equipment was provided under a special pre-financed support package introduced by the company for Metropolitan, Municipal and District assemblies (MMDAs) in the country for their capacity building.
A representative of the company in its Sunyani office, Miss Aileen Koomson, who handed over the keys to the machines at a brief ceremony, stated that the provision of basic infrastructure such as feeder roads to link up the hinterland in the districts and the urban centres would enhance economic opportunities for the people, thereby improving their living conditions.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, who received the keys to the machines on behalf of the assemblies, expressed his appreciation to the company for its commitment to partnering the government in its development programme.
He expressed the hope that the machines would go a long way to help the assemblies in their development moves.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo, therefore, urged the assemblies to ensure that they maintained the equipment regularly to prolong its lifespan.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
MOH TO TRAIN MIDDLE-LEVEL HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS (PAGE 35)
THE Ministry of Health (MoH) is working closely with health training institutions and the Nurses and Midwives Council to train middle-level healthcare providers, including nurses and midwives, who far outnumber doctors and are also more accessible to most women to offer abortion-related services.
The ministry will also work with other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to address the special needs of the youth for comprehensive reproductive health information and services and to improve family services, including those available to women who have undergone abortion.
The Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, disclosed this at the just ended sixth national delegates conference of the General Nurses Group (GNG) in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region.
It was on the theme: “The role of the clinical nurse in comprehensive abortion care”.
“We need to educate women about the existing provision for legal abortion so that they can avail themselves of safe legal abortion to the full extent permitted by law,” he advised.
The minister stated that the basic technologies for safe abortion care and contraception that had been available in rich countries for decades ought to reach every village in the country, adding “As a Minister of Health, I am ready to work with you to achieve this objective”.
He, however, said as professionals on the ground, “we will engage women everywhere to demand the sexual and reproductive healthcare they need and the compassionate treatment and respect they deserve and together, let us engage other stakeholders to work with women’s groups to ensure that all women know their legal rights and reproductive options”.
Dr Yankey said the theme for the conference was significant since in the first place, it fell in line with the current direction of the health sector.
The minister observed, “We are also aware that, an estimated, 20,000 women are hospitalised with abortion-related complications in the public health system alone each year, but some of us believe that this number can be higher, considering the number of abortions that occur in the country every year”.
Dr Yankey insisted that the statistics were difficult to compile due to the nature of the problem, adding that the vast majority of cases were done privately and sometimes criminally.
He also observed that nearly half of all those cases occurred among women aged between 14 and 24.
He said the problem had received inadequate attention and that, the pervasive denial of the reality of unsafe abortion was taking a huge toll on the health and lives of women and girls all over the country as well as on the public health system.
The National Chairperson of the GNG-Ghana, Mrs Georgina Nortey stated that about 4.5 million women undergo unsafe abortion world-wide every year, adding that the age bracket of those prone to abortion was between 15 and 25 years.
She said most unwanted pregnancies ended up as unsafe abortion because the primitive methods which were used in terminating those pregnancies, were dangerous.
To reduce unsafe abortion, Mrs Nortey suggested that women should be educated on family planning and availability of comprehensive abortion care services, adding that there should be liberalisation of abortion law.
The Deputy Registrar of the Nurses and Midwives Council in charge of Indexing and Registration, Mrs Cecilia Kalitsi said in recent times there had been public outcry about the way patients and clients were treated by some nurses and midwives when they called at the hospitals and clinics for treatment.
She cited some of the concerns as the impolite way the clients were welcomed to the health facilities, the insults rained on them when they were unable to provide certain vital information and the impatient manner in which prescriptions were explained to them.
The ministry will also work with other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to address the special needs of the youth for comprehensive reproductive health information and services and to improve family services, including those available to women who have undergone abortion.
The Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, disclosed this at the just ended sixth national delegates conference of the General Nurses Group (GNG) in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region.
It was on the theme: “The role of the clinical nurse in comprehensive abortion care”.
“We need to educate women about the existing provision for legal abortion so that they can avail themselves of safe legal abortion to the full extent permitted by law,” he advised.
The minister stated that the basic technologies for safe abortion care and contraception that had been available in rich countries for decades ought to reach every village in the country, adding “As a Minister of Health, I am ready to work with you to achieve this objective”.
He, however, said as professionals on the ground, “we will engage women everywhere to demand the sexual and reproductive healthcare they need and the compassionate treatment and respect they deserve and together, let us engage other stakeholders to work with women’s groups to ensure that all women know their legal rights and reproductive options”.
Dr Yankey said the theme for the conference was significant since in the first place, it fell in line with the current direction of the health sector.
The minister observed, “We are also aware that, an estimated, 20,000 women are hospitalised with abortion-related complications in the public health system alone each year, but some of us believe that this number can be higher, considering the number of abortions that occur in the country every year”.
Dr Yankey insisted that the statistics were difficult to compile due to the nature of the problem, adding that the vast majority of cases were done privately and sometimes criminally.
He also observed that nearly half of all those cases occurred among women aged between 14 and 24.
He said the problem had received inadequate attention and that, the pervasive denial of the reality of unsafe abortion was taking a huge toll on the health and lives of women and girls all over the country as well as on the public health system.
The National Chairperson of the GNG-Ghana, Mrs Georgina Nortey stated that about 4.5 million women undergo unsafe abortion world-wide every year, adding that the age bracket of those prone to abortion was between 15 and 25 years.
She said most unwanted pregnancies ended up as unsafe abortion because the primitive methods which were used in terminating those pregnancies, were dangerous.
To reduce unsafe abortion, Mrs Nortey suggested that women should be educated on family planning and availability of comprehensive abortion care services, adding that there should be liberalisation of abortion law.
The Deputy Registrar of the Nurses and Midwives Council in charge of Indexing and Registration, Mrs Cecilia Kalitsi said in recent times there had been public outcry about the way patients and clients were treated by some nurses and midwives when they called at the hospitals and clinics for treatment.
She cited some of the concerns as the impolite way the clients were welcomed to the health facilities, the insults rained on them when they were unable to provide certain vital information and the impatient manner in which prescriptions were explained to them.
Friday, August 28, 2009
LACK OF OFFICES HAMPERS COMPLIANCE WITH PROCUREMENT ACT (PAGE 34)
Compliance with the provisions of the Procurement Act is being hampered in a number of district assemblies in the Brong Ahafo Region because of lack of procurement officers.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, who made this known, therefore, appealed to the appropriate authorities to post procurement officers to affected district assemblies for them to comply with the law.
He was speaking at the regional financial management workshop organised by the Audit Service in Sunyani last Tuesday.
The workshop was attended by accountants of the various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and district assemblies.
Other participants were district finance officers, district co-ordinating directors and staff of the Audit Service.
It was organised to address the findings of an audit conducted nationwide last year by Messrs Ernest and Young Chartered Accountants to bring a third party review to the handling of the various transactions underlying receipts and disbursements of the Consolidate Fund.
The audit also focused on transactions relating to the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing and selected departments under it, as well as 20 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), drawn from each region in the country.
The workshop centred on Budget Preparation and Reporting Cycle, Consolidated Fund inflows, Budget and Public Expenditure Management Systems, Financial Reporting Formats, Receipts and Payments Concerns, Consolidated Fund Reporting issues, Internal Audit issues and Internal Controls.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo stressed the need for the assemblies to register all their fixed assets so that at any given time they could account for them without any difficulty, pointing out that the accurate preparation of trial balances of the assemblies would also provide the basis for their income and expenditure accounts.
According to the Regional Minister, the startling revelations at the ongoing Ghana@50 probe in Accra, should be an eye-opener to all those in positions of trust, since one day, they could be called to account for their stewardship.
He said following what was currently going on at the probe, it was not far-fetched to conclude that, “some of the politicians did not listen to the bureaucrats during the Ghana@50 celebration, regarding procurement and other activities”, adding that politicians should listen to the bureaucrats to learn a lot from them as to what to do.
In his welcoming address, the Brong Ahafo Regional Auditor, Mr Charles Segre, noted that the findings of the audit required additional attention alongside the immediate requirement to submit the findings for the attention of Parliament.
According to him, the objectives of the audit were to provide an independent opinion on the financial statements and to review and report on the effectiveness of the system of internal controls of the audited organisations.
He pointed out that recommendations had been made, where appropriate, on how systems could be improved but the key task was to examine whether existing systems were being followed and where necessary, “we have made practical recommendations on how enforcement could be tightened”.
Mr Segre noted that financial management in government agencies was largely decentralised and that in order to keep the work within reasonable limits and to ensure a timely completion, “we were required within each of the organisations, to undertake a detailed audit of a proportion of the spending units or budget management centres”.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, who made this known, therefore, appealed to the appropriate authorities to post procurement officers to affected district assemblies for them to comply with the law.
He was speaking at the regional financial management workshop organised by the Audit Service in Sunyani last Tuesday.
The workshop was attended by accountants of the various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and district assemblies.
Other participants were district finance officers, district co-ordinating directors and staff of the Audit Service.
It was organised to address the findings of an audit conducted nationwide last year by Messrs Ernest and Young Chartered Accountants to bring a third party review to the handling of the various transactions underlying receipts and disbursements of the Consolidate Fund.
The audit also focused on transactions relating to the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing and selected departments under it, as well as 20 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), drawn from each region in the country.
The workshop centred on Budget Preparation and Reporting Cycle, Consolidated Fund inflows, Budget and Public Expenditure Management Systems, Financial Reporting Formats, Receipts and Payments Concerns, Consolidated Fund Reporting issues, Internal Audit issues and Internal Controls.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo stressed the need for the assemblies to register all their fixed assets so that at any given time they could account for them without any difficulty, pointing out that the accurate preparation of trial balances of the assemblies would also provide the basis for their income and expenditure accounts.
According to the Regional Minister, the startling revelations at the ongoing Ghana@50 probe in Accra, should be an eye-opener to all those in positions of trust, since one day, they could be called to account for their stewardship.
He said following what was currently going on at the probe, it was not far-fetched to conclude that, “some of the politicians did not listen to the bureaucrats during the Ghana@50 celebration, regarding procurement and other activities”, adding that politicians should listen to the bureaucrats to learn a lot from them as to what to do.
In his welcoming address, the Brong Ahafo Regional Auditor, Mr Charles Segre, noted that the findings of the audit required additional attention alongside the immediate requirement to submit the findings for the attention of Parliament.
According to him, the objectives of the audit were to provide an independent opinion on the financial statements and to review and report on the effectiveness of the system of internal controls of the audited organisations.
He pointed out that recommendations had been made, where appropriate, on how systems could be improved but the key task was to examine whether existing systems were being followed and where necessary, “we have made practical recommendations on how enforcement could be tightened”.
Mr Segre noted that financial management in government agencies was largely decentralised and that in order to keep the work within reasonable limits and to ensure a timely completion, “we were required within each of the organisations, to undertake a detailed audit of a proportion of the spending units or budget management centres”.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
BUI AUTHORITY TASKED TO PROVIDE ENVIRONMENTAL RESETTLEMENT PLANS (BACK PAGE)
THE Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST) has directed the management of the Bui Power Authority (BPA) to submit a well prepared Environmental Management Plan and a Resettlement Action Plan to the ministry by the close of the year for study.
The directive is to enable the ministry to assess environmental practices being adopted by the BPA in the execution of the Bui Dam project. It is also to determine the strategies being followed towards the payment of a long-term compensation to the communities affected by the implementation of the project.
Additionally, the MEST has requested the management of BPA to make available to it a copy of the whole contract agreement document for perusal by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), since the activity at the project site basically involved environmental issues.
This was the outcome of a closed-door meeting between the sector minister, Ms Sherry Ayittey, and other officials of the ministry and the management of the BPA, during a day’s familiarisation visit to the Bui Dam site.
The minister and her entourage were conducted round the site by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the BPA, Mr Jabesh Amissah-Arthur.
Briefing the press on the meeting at the camp of the Birim Goldfields Limited at Nsawkaw, Ms Ayittey admitted that the BPA had already submitted a copy of an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Plan to the ministry, which, she said, was being studied.
The minister indicated that the BPA had agreed to establish a community information centre at a suitable location within the Banda Traditional Area to be manned by a local person, who would receive all complaints, suggestions and concerns for onward submission to the authority for action.
According to the minister, the meeting agreed that the BPA ought to apply for a permit and certification before it could go ahead with a quarrying activity which it was undertaking for its construction work at the project site, since it was a different venture all together.
She noted that the rock was the bona fide property of the state and as such, whoever was exploiting it should put in the necessary application before doing so and subsequently pay the appropriate royalties to the state, the district assembly and the traditional authorities.
Ms Ayittey pointed out that the ministry had received complaints from La Cote d’Iviore expressing the fear that the construction of the dam would adversely affect some communities along the border as a result of spillage.
Based on that, she said the meeting agreed that the BPA should submit to the ministry documents that pointed to the fact that spillage would not cause any havoc, in order to allay the fears of their neighbours.
She also indicated that there had been complaints about the quality of rock being used to build the dam, and that to curtail the lingering worry, the meeting agreed that the Geological Department and the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) should move to Bui to do independent tests of the rock.
That, she noted, would finally make the communities feel relaxed, once they were convinced that the future of the dam was secured and that their lives were not in danger in any way.
The minister further disclosed that the EPA had been mandated to carry out checks on chemicals and other materials imported to be used for the project, adding that “any bulk importation will be subjected to testing before certification and so the BPA should co-operate with the EPA to go to the port to conduct test on materials brought in and later sit together on the issue of permit”.
The minister said based on a request by the traditional authorities, the BPA had agreed to establish a vocational training centre at Banda Ahenkro, to provide middle level manpower to the youth so that they could be employable, and that agreement had also been reached towards the upgrading of the Banda Ahenkro Clinic to a health centre to see to the quality health care for the people.
Earlier, in a presentation, the CEO disclosed that under phase two of the project, river bed excavation and concrete foundation would start in November, 2009, while commencement of the main dam was to start in December, this year, and that the start of reservoir filling was scheduled for February 2011.
Mr Amissah-Arthur indicated that the first power generation was expected in October 2012. The project is expected to be completed and inaugurated in 2013.
Under phase one of the Bui Hydroelectric Power Project, being undertaken by the Sinohydro Company Limited, a Chinese firm, under a joint People’s Republic of China and the Government of Ghana agreement, commencement of field investigations was in October, 2007, commencement of preparatory works began in January, 2008 while the river diversion was completed in December, 2008.
The directive is to enable the ministry to assess environmental practices being adopted by the BPA in the execution of the Bui Dam project. It is also to determine the strategies being followed towards the payment of a long-term compensation to the communities affected by the implementation of the project.
Additionally, the MEST has requested the management of BPA to make available to it a copy of the whole contract agreement document for perusal by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), since the activity at the project site basically involved environmental issues.
This was the outcome of a closed-door meeting between the sector minister, Ms Sherry Ayittey, and other officials of the ministry and the management of the BPA, during a day’s familiarisation visit to the Bui Dam site.
The minister and her entourage were conducted round the site by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the BPA, Mr Jabesh Amissah-Arthur.
Briefing the press on the meeting at the camp of the Birim Goldfields Limited at Nsawkaw, Ms Ayittey admitted that the BPA had already submitted a copy of an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Plan to the ministry, which, she said, was being studied.
The minister indicated that the BPA had agreed to establish a community information centre at a suitable location within the Banda Traditional Area to be manned by a local person, who would receive all complaints, suggestions and concerns for onward submission to the authority for action.
According to the minister, the meeting agreed that the BPA ought to apply for a permit and certification before it could go ahead with a quarrying activity which it was undertaking for its construction work at the project site, since it was a different venture all together.
She noted that the rock was the bona fide property of the state and as such, whoever was exploiting it should put in the necessary application before doing so and subsequently pay the appropriate royalties to the state, the district assembly and the traditional authorities.
Ms Ayittey pointed out that the ministry had received complaints from La Cote d’Iviore expressing the fear that the construction of the dam would adversely affect some communities along the border as a result of spillage.
Based on that, she said the meeting agreed that the BPA should submit to the ministry documents that pointed to the fact that spillage would not cause any havoc, in order to allay the fears of their neighbours.
She also indicated that there had been complaints about the quality of rock being used to build the dam, and that to curtail the lingering worry, the meeting agreed that the Geological Department and the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) should move to Bui to do independent tests of the rock.
That, she noted, would finally make the communities feel relaxed, once they were convinced that the future of the dam was secured and that their lives were not in danger in any way.
The minister further disclosed that the EPA had been mandated to carry out checks on chemicals and other materials imported to be used for the project, adding that “any bulk importation will be subjected to testing before certification and so the BPA should co-operate with the EPA to go to the port to conduct test on materials brought in and later sit together on the issue of permit”.
The minister said based on a request by the traditional authorities, the BPA had agreed to establish a vocational training centre at Banda Ahenkro, to provide middle level manpower to the youth so that they could be employable, and that agreement had also been reached towards the upgrading of the Banda Ahenkro Clinic to a health centre to see to the quality health care for the people.
Earlier, in a presentation, the CEO disclosed that under phase two of the project, river bed excavation and concrete foundation would start in November, 2009, while commencement of the main dam was to start in December, this year, and that the start of reservoir filling was scheduled for February 2011.
Mr Amissah-Arthur indicated that the first power generation was expected in October 2012. The project is expected to be completed and inaugurated in 2013.
Under phase one of the Bui Hydroelectric Power Project, being undertaken by the Sinohydro Company Limited, a Chinese firm, under a joint People’s Republic of China and the Government of Ghana agreement, commencement of field investigations was in October, 2007, commencement of preparatory works began in January, 2008 while the river diversion was completed in December, 2008.
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